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The HC has to be accountable. Part of the problem is that Wade isn't a strong enough personality to keep Jerry in check. Parcells was, and that is how we got this embarrassment of riches from a personnel standpoint. Look around at our players, and the majority of the ones that are tearing it up right now, with the notable exceptions of Spencer, Felix and Jenkins, were brought here by Parcells. He brought in Austin, Romo, Witten, Barber, Ware, Ratliff, Newman...the core of the team. When Jerry gets too carried away with meddling with the roster, you end up with situations like the Roy Williams one. Luckily, there was a Parcells' guy ready and waiting to clean up the mess and provide a safety net for that move.

This Parcells love just gets a little ridiculous every now and then. Is he a great talent evaluator? Indeed he is. But seriously...what do you expect? He was here 4 years during a rebuilding phase. I dont care who the coach would have been. That guy's fingerprints would have been all over this team also, good or bad. BP came here when we were belly up. We were rebuilding. He had a lot of early draft selections...so hits were more likely than misses with these guys. And I would hope that they were starring, so and so years down the road, like they should have been anyway. The fact that these guys are our base...isnt all that shocking when you really think about it, is it? ugh. And I'm as happy as anyone that we hit on guys like Miles, Barber, Ratliff, Bowen, and Romo (You can thank Sean Payton for that last one). But you're judging things based on guys who have since established themselves after Parcells left. Look at the influx of talent we've had since he's left...we've had several good FA additions and two very good drafts, one of which, was amazing. Is it really true that we're missing the great Parcell's talent evaluating skills? No it isnt. And take a gander at that beautiful draft BP had in 2006, hell lets go back further, 2004 was brilliant as well. Fact is, we havent seen a drop off there at all, you're just judging BP's players, years after they've made it big already...and selecting the good ones, at that. Then we can I dont know, bring Phillips into the picture. Who is a fine judge of defensive talent himself. Are we just going to forget about him bringing in his guys, Igor and Brooking. Or the fact that we drafted Spencer, Jenkins, and Scandrick under his watch. And as for our undrafted player success, well we did find some dude named Ogletree without Parcells. Save the Roy Williams debacle...our team hasnt had any trouble finding talent.And let me say, I loved Parcells. I did think he was past his prime as a head coach here but, I still loved the guy. But to give all the credit to Parcells, who didnt even win a playoff game here either...is just ludicrous. Fans ate up every word he said...Patrick Crayton has the best hands on the team (well, he never did), We've got ourselves a player in Rob Petitti (oops, wrong again), Testaverde and Bledsoe can sling it as well as anyone. (yeaaah) etc, etc, etc. Anyway, the guy isnt some golden god...he was far from perfect in Dallas. He had his hits and he had plenty of misses. Gah. And geez, our players responded better under Phillips tutelage.

But you have to hold the HC accountable for every thing on the team, because he is supposed to be the one in charge. If there's a problem with the playcalling or offensive schemes, he's accountable! Why? Because those positions are accountable to him and if things aren't working, he is responsible to fix it. But he doesn't have the power to do some of the things he SHOULD be required to do, and its because of who he is. We need someone who has the force of personality to keep Jerry at bay, and I'm pretty sure everyone can agree that Wade isn't that guy, no?

Your hate is misguided. The guy is a defensive minded coach, who works with the defense extensively, all while calling the plays. You're really going to blame Wade for offensive problems? Every coach has their specialties...it's Garrett's and the offensive coaches responsibility to orchestrate the offensive game plan. Is Wade involved? Sure but, not quite to the extent to have it all fall on his shoulders. Please. Garrett is given more power than just about any assistant head coach in the league. He's the true overseer of that offense. It's his. And what is this, keep Jerry at bay stuff? Olshansky, Brooking...I wonder why these guys are in Dallas uniforms right now? It's because, they're Wade's guys. And I'm sure just about the entire organization was in agreement over the stupid Williams trade. It's not like Wade is without his freedoms or pulls. And he has done an excellent job with his defense, I dont know what else you want? When Jerry was pissing and moaning earlier in the year because of the offense, it was the stubborn Garrett he was calling out, not Wade.

I mean, the list of issues with Wade is so long and far reaching that its not worth trying to delineate.

I can't say that I'm surprised that you guys are still behind him. Die hards are ever a forgiving lot, because they just want their teams to do well. I see that, and I can't hold that against anyone. But Wade has shown me enough. The guy isn't head coaching material. A head coach's job is to get the best out of his team. This team has as much talent or more than any other team in the league, and it hasn't performed like a top 5 team except during a few brief stretches of his tenure.
hmm the best out of his team. Two divisional titles in three years and close to a 70% winning percentage overall, I'd say that's pretty damn good. Not to mention, the players are fully behind their coach and want to win for him. And as for the not performing like a top 5 team. I guess you slept though the 2007 season. Or havent been paying much attention to our team recently.

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Ugh. As much as it pains me to say...Bennett hasnt shown anything. As of right now, he's a blocking TE, who drops a lot of passes, doesnt fully grasp the playbook, and has a questionable attitude. The guy has even been losing snaps in our double TE formations to Phillips. Who is playing better in those opportunities. Yes, lets put Bennett in the Hall right now. Suggesting that we trade Witten is just a completely ludicrous idea. What's worse, is the excuse that Bennett isnt living up to his potential, because he's not "the guy" right now. ha. And LOL at us having no way to get him on the field...he's constantly lining up in the slot and doing absolutely nothing. We're better when we use 3 WRs instead of having Bennett play the slot. He doesnt even have Romo's trust because, he cant hold onto the ball. Now, I like him but to trade your proven commodity, one of the best in the league mind you, just so you can start Bennett...it's idiotic. You may get a nice draft choice but, you may also see your offense take a giant leap backward. Dont fix what isnt broken. It just makes zero sense...and on top of all of this...Witten is 27 freaking years old and showing absolutely zero signs of slowing. At a position that can be played well into your 30s at a pretty elite level. You say, you only do this if Bennett has shown us enough, so that we know he's going to pan out. Well again, he hasnt shown us anything. Period.

Listen, I'm not going to get into a back an forth based on that. I happen to believe that Bennett is going to be a stud. If you don't think that, and you're the decision maker, then you don't trade Witt. That's fine by me. Everything I'm saying is predicated on the person who makes decisions thinking that Bennett is a surefire stud. If that person is you, you don't do it. That's fine. BUT IF YOU DO THINK THAT, then why not look at trading Witten? There is no arguing with the logic as long as you accept the premise. Argue with the premise all you want, and I won't disagree. But given the premise, there's no way to justify NOT exploring our options with Witten.

Just remember:

Montana/Young
LT/Turner
Bledsoe/Brady
Vick/Schaub

And all the other instances I brought up. Just because you have a proven commodity who you have strong attachment to doesn't mean you hold onto him no matter what. That's the soft minded approach.

Anyway, we're not trading Witten. Whether or not Bennett ends up being a stud will be proven in time.

As for the Wade issue...don't think that I don't see all the good things Wade does for us. He has really helped Ware grow. He has fielded a top notch pressure team each of the 3 years he's been here. He's allowed the development of certain players, namely Spears (who i think has become a very solid starter), Ratliff and Carpenter, that I don't believe would have happened under Parcells.

So don't get confused that I'm saying he's a worthless coach. I'm just saying he's not good enough. I want a coach that I can count on being here for life. I want another Landry. I want a Belichek, a Cowher, a Reid (one of the most unfairly criticized coaches in the league), or a Fisher. A guy that we can count on having around for years, and who will help us field a perennial contender. And I understand that those coaches each have holes (Fisher in particular has had more non-winning seasons than winning seasons). But that's what I want. Given the abundance of talent on this team, I think we need a coach RIGHT NOW that can take that talent and harness it. Wade has underachieved. The fact that it took us 3 years to win a playoff game is a joke, it really is. And now everyone around here is all euphoric because we won ONE PLAYOFF GAME and all our pathetic failures are a part of the past?

Sorry, but I'm not that easy.

Originally posted by 21ST

He was protecting his self

Originally posted by tjsunstein

From what? His leg?

Originally posted by Paranoidmoonduck

That leg has had it out for him since day 1.

"We're the quiet guys, the guys before the storm. And then we hit you."

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You make a very very good point on Bennett. That analogy was spot on. But here's the thing, how do we know if he's clutch?

Say you trade Witten, now Bennett steps in and gives you similar production and the added bonus of youth. But one thing Witten always did, was make the clutch play. He was always Romo's safety blanket. What happens when you remove that piece to the puzzle? Its a ballsy call, one I wouldn't make, but I can see where you're coming from with it.

As for Wade, I know you hate the guy, and I can see why you do, but I doubt he gets fired at this point. Put it this way though, as a Giants fan, I'd be happy to see Wade return to the Cowboys, unless him getting fired meant he became our future DC.

So I can see why you feel the way you do. I can also see why other Cowboys fans disagree though.

You know whats going unnoticed? Bobby Carpenter has looked pretty good in his new nickel role. Nobody is ever mentioning that. I just wanted to discuss it a little.

Maybe all hope is not lost for the guy.

People round her have certainly been watching. Bobby has good speed and has improved substantially at staying with TEs and FBs in the flats. He still gets abused, obviously, by the more athletic RBs. He had a great game last week, and that is probably what caught your eye. Over at BTB, they mentioned how Bobby had his two career games in the playoffs, sandwiched around a ton of mediocrity, so we're plenty aware. He's gotten overlooked since the game just because there are so many other guys that played so well, and Bobby is a situational player. His biggest problem is, and always has been, his lack of physicality and toughness. He gets abused by bigger players because he isn't willing to bring it and stack up the lead blocker. He's been better this year, and looks like he will be in the league for awhile, instead of just getting cut at it looked like he would be at the end of last year. He has improved, but I wouldn't call him even a "good" coverage backer. He's OK, and the middle of our pass defense is still by far the biggest weakness on the team.

Also, it tells me all I need to know that our rivals are eager to see Wade stay. Game over.

Originally posted by 21ST

He was protecting his self

Originally posted by tjsunstein

From what? His leg?

Originally posted by Paranoidmoonduck

That leg has had it out for him since day 1.

"We're the quiet guys, the guys before the storm. And then we hit you."

Comment

We need to focus this great attention on a useful subject. Love the banter, but let's talk about something more relevant.

What about Ratliff at DE and bringing in a NT? That's one that people are on both sides of the fence. With some wanting to keep him at NT and bring in a DE to replace Spears. Or do you just love our DL and want to keep Spears?

Or talk about the Doug Free as our future LT...

Trading Witten talk is bogus.

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People round her have certainly been watching. Bobby has good speed and has improved substantially at staying with TEs and FBs in the flats. He still gets abused, obviously, by the more athletic RBs. He had a great game last week, and that is probably what caught your eye. Over at BTB, they mentioned how Bobby had his two career games in the playoffs, sandwiched around a ton of mediocrity, so we're plenty aware. He's gotten overlooked since the game just because there are so many other guys that played so well, and Bobby is a situational player. His biggest problem is, and always has been, his lack of physicality and toughness. He gets abused by bigger players because he isn't willing to bring it and stack up the lead blocker. He's been better this year, and looks like he will be in the league for awhile, instead of just getting cut at it looked like he would be at the end of last year. He has improved, but I wouldn't call him even a "good" coverage backer. He's OK, and the middle of our pass defense is still by far the biggest weakness on the team.

Also, it tells me all I need to know that our rivals are eager to see Wade stay. Game over.

What's more important though? What they think or what the players think? The players have stood up for Wade. Ware, Brooking, Ratliff, Witten off the top of my head have come forward about it. I can understand a dysfunctional unit wanting to keep their leader in order to keep their bad habits going... but this is hardly the case. Our lockerroom is more mature and the leadership is better than ever.

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I'd say those talks are finally dead. Ratliff at NT is not hurting the team in anyway. He's greatly respected and considered to be one of the best, if not the best NT in the game. Did Ratliff's smaller stature hurt us against the run? Well we finished 4th in the NFL in rush defense. So that's a big NO. Where's the problem? His inside rush enhances our defense and we stop the run without any problems.

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I'd say those talks are finally dead. Ratliff at NT is not hurting the team in anyway. He's greatly respected and considered to be one of the best, if not the best NT in the game. Did Ratliff's smaller stature hurt us against the run? Well we finished 4th in the NFL in rush defense. So that's a big NO. Where's the problem? His inside rush enhances our defense and we stop the run without any problems.

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Yeah, I think Dallas just sees it differently than the conventional wisdom would suggest. I think we need a big two gapper myself, but its hard to argue with the results. Our run D has been consistently good since Rat was moved inside. I still think we should address it, but I have a hard time thinking we will.

However, if there was ever a year to do it, its this year. There are 3 guys in our range who could fit the bill, and most years there isn't a single one in the entire 1st round.

Originally posted by 21ST

He was protecting his self

Originally posted by tjsunstein

From what? His leg?

Originally posted by Paranoidmoonduck

That leg has had it out for him since day 1.

"We're the quiet guys, the guys before the storm. And then we hit you."

DeMarcus Ware

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...and look at Ratliff's back up? Siavii is also a man of magnanamous stature. I do agree that Ratliff is a special player at NT. But my logic tells me that he can also be a special player at DE. I see no reason to believe he'll be worse off facing single coverage than double coverage.

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I don't even know what to think about some of those prospects, I remember thinking how awesome it would be to draft Ron Brace and kick out Ratliff, but Brace has absolutely sucked for NE this year, far more then they probably imagined. I love the idea of Ratliff at DE so much but nobody in the organization seems to.

Guess our best bet is to find a huge DE who is excellent against the run similiar to Igor, that can occupy two blockers, and you can always switch him and Ratliff around on passing downs. I haven't heard Rat's name called all that much the past few weeks, but I think he's getting alot of extra attention along with Ware so it's been paying off for Spencer.

Originally posted by Scott Wright

I guarantee that if someone picks Cam Newton in the Top 5 they will regret it.

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I don't even know what to think about some of those prospects, I remember thinking how awesome it would be to draft Ron Brace and kick out Ratliff, but Brace has absolutely sucked for NE this year, far more then they probably imagined. I love the idea of Ratliff at DE so much but nobody in the organization seems to.

Guess our best bet is to find a huge DE who is excellent against the run similiar to Igor, that can occupy two blockers, and you can always switch him and Ratliff around on passing downs. I haven't heard Rat's name called all that much the past few weeks, but I think he's getting alot of extra attention along with Ware so it's been paying off for Spencer.

This year's draft is crap as far as NT prospects go in my mind. I kinda like Dan Williams and that's about it.

But I really would like us to get Casey Hampton or Vince Wilfork. I think they take our D to the next level. Have them occupy the double teams and let Ratliff be the heat seeking missle that he is.

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We signed Leon Williams to a future contract. Not a horrible pick up. He was playing in the UFL which I did not know. He's not good or anything but, a pretty good athlete for his size and a good camp body.